Pakistan's chances for 2025 ODI World Cup hang by a thread after series loss against England

Pakistan’s women’s cricket team encountered a notable blow as they tumbled in the third and final ODI facing off England by 178 runs in Chelmsford. This loss has choked their direct qualification for the 2025 ODI World Cup into uncertainty.

Pakistan have now finished all their games in the Women’s Championship, gathering a total of 17 points. In disparity, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, both are tied on 14 points, have three matches scheduled next month. The results of these matches will be paramount, as the team that wins two out of the three will outperform Pakistan in points, potentially banging them out of direct qualification for the World Cup.

In the final ODI, Pakistan were bowled out for a meagre 124 runs while chasing a challenging target of 303 set by England. The top performances for the visitors came from Muneeba Ali, who scored 47 runs, and Aliya Riaz, who scored 36 runs on the scoreboard. Nevertheless, their performances were outweighed by England’s bowling attack, with Sophie Ecclestone bagging three wickets for just 15 runs. Lauren Bell and Nat Sciver-Brunt contributed with two wickets apiece, whereas, Charlie Dean and Kate Cross took one wicket for each.

England’s batting was led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who produced a majestic performance with 124 runs off 117 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes. She had ample backing from Danni Wyatt (44 runs off 42 balls), Alice Capsey (39 runs off 42 balls), and Maia Bouchier (33 runs off 33 balls). England posted a total of 302 runs for the loss of five wickets on the board. For the women in green, Umm-e-Hani took bagged wickets, whereas, Diana Baig, Nida Dar, and Fatima Sana each picked one.

This match finished a challenging series for Pakistan, who had previously lost the opener ODI by 37 runs and witnessed the following match washed out due to cloudburst after just 6.5 overs of play. Furthermore, Pakistan were earlier handed over a 3-0 defeat in the T20I series against England.

The future of the Pakistan women’s cricket team’s direct qualification for the 2025 ODI World Cup now relies on the forthcoming series between Sri Lanka and the West Indies. As cricket enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the results, the Pakistan team and its supporters are left in jeopardy, hoping for an advantageous turn of events.